Frozen Hearts: Broken
A/N: Right, new story! Oh, right. Moon here! There we go. Anyway, all credit for the BRILLIANT name goes to Rainy! :D Thanks so much for helping! And we'll see how this turns out! 'PROLOGUE' "You know nothing about what I'm ''going through!" she yells at me, tail bristling, hackles raised. "So don't even try to 'comfort' me!" I glare back at her. "I was just trying to help!" "Well, don't!" she retorts, eyes gleaming with anger. "I don't want your help, and I don't need it either!" I toss my head furiously. "Fine!" I tell her, marching stiffly off. "I won't!" She replies, but I don't hear her. I'm too mad. Sometimes I'm glad we're sisters, but right now, I'm not. I guess I should explain. I'm Mistglimmer, a warrior of ShadowClan. My sister is Snowflower. She was the one yelling at me. Our life hasn't really been easier, and lately, it just gets harder and harder. I can tell you're curious, that you want to know more. Well, I don't see why not. Sit down here in the moss, and I'll tell you my story... '(Lol, short prologue. Oh well, it gets better! ...I hope! Keep readin'!)' 'CHAPTER ONE' ''I open my eyes, staring around ''me in awe. A sleekly-furred black she-cat is curled up around me. Beside me, a tabby-and-white she-kit is murmuring quietly in her sleep. I carefully extract myself from the tangle of warm bodies, not wanting to wake them up. Now perched on top of the nest, I continue to check out my surroundings. A plump creamy brown she-cat lies in a nest nearby, her fur rising and falling as she breathes. The only other cat in here is a gray she-cat with such a fluffy tail, I can hardly see anything else. Behind me, I hear a rustle, and turn to see the black she-cat--my mother--watching me, love sparkling in her eyes. "Hello, Mistkit," she whispers, lightly brushing her tail over my head. Her fur tickles me, and I sneeze, waking my sister up. Her fur clumped from sleep. She looks at our mother and yawns, pressing her head against her glossy black fur. I feel a surge of love for my mother and sister, and clumsily clamber down to join them. The black she-cat purrs. "Mistkit, Snowkit. My two precious kits." So my sister's name is Snowkit. Which means that my name is Mistkit. I twist my head, wanting to see my pelt. Snowkit's name makes sense, since she has a light-colored pelt, so does mine? I'm pleased to see a black pelt, a lot like my mother's, only fluffy, and not sleek. It has silver tabby markings twining about it, and I think it does fit my name. I look like mist, on a moonlight night. I turn back. My mother is grooming Snowkit, and I back away slightly, not wanting to be next. There's a deep breath behind me, and I turn, wondering who it is. The creamy brown she-cat is stretching, and I can see that she's only plump because she's expecting kits. She purrs when she spots me and my sister. "They're beautiful, Nightfeather." My mother meows proudly, "Thank you, Daisybird." So my mother is Nightfeather, and the creamy cat is Daisybird. My sister squirms out from Nightfeather's tongue, making a face at me. She scrambles up the side of the nest to look around, her eyes growing huge as she inspects the nursery. "It's ''huge!" she mews excitedly, looking back at our mother. Nightfeather purrs, sounding amused. “Yes, it is, little one. Someday, when you’re ready, I will take you outside.” I stare at her. “You mean in the camp?” She shakes her head, her black fur shining in the dim light streaming in through the small gaps in the walls. “No, Mistkit, I will take you in the forest.” Snowkit's eyes grow huge, their dark blue reflecting the gleam of Nightfeather's black coat. "Really?" she asks, sounding almost doubtful. "Promise?" Nightfeather gives us both a loving lick. "I promise, little ones. Someday, I will take you to the forest." I can tell she means it, and I share an excited look with Snowkit. The forest! All of a sudden, Daisybird gives a strangled yowl. Nightfeather's eyes widen, and the gray she-cat wakes up with a start. "Daisybird!" In the confusion, I can't tell who called her name. Maybe it was me. The gray she-cat stares at my mother, looking terrified. "Should I get Fernshine?" Nightfeather nods briefly at her, already coaxing Daisybird back into her soft nest. "Yes, Cinderwhisker. Tell her that Daisybird is kitting." Kitting! Daisybird is having her kits? I can't wait! That means that soon I'll have new denmates to play with. I look at Snowkit, who is watching intrestedly, her head cocked to the side. She doesn't seem to notice when Nightfeather scoops us up and puts us back in the nest. Heartbeats later, a beautiful speckled tabby she-cat brushes inside the den, her tufted ears turning toward Daisybird. Following her is a younger tom, his eyes wide and nervous as he too studies the kitting queen. "Lizardpaw," the speckled tabby mews briskly, dropping a bundle of herbs next to Daisybird. "Run tell Darkfur that Daisybird is kitting, please." The tom nodded and turned, racing out of the nursery. I watch him go. So if he's Lizardpaw, then who is the speckled tabby? Nightfeather senses my confusion, and whispers quietly in my ear, "That's Fernshine, the medicine cat. Lizardpaw is her apprentice." I narrow my eyes, trying to remember all the different names. Lizardpaw returns, with a umber tom behind him, looking worried. He bursts into the nursery, reaching Daisybird's side quickly. "Is she alright?" he asks. "She'll be fine," Fernshine tells him, calmly chewing up herbs, then giving them to Daisybird. "Get ready to push." Cinderwhisker--the gray she-cat--pads quietly up to my mother, plumy tail flicking uneasily from side to side. "Why don't we take your kits outside?" Nightfeather nods. "Come along, kits, we're going out." Snowkit pouts, but follows Nightfeather and Cinderwhisker. I wait just a minute more, but then I too have to hurry outside. Once I'm there, I forget all about Daisybird. There are so many smells! Mouse, bird, frog, pine trees, sap, ferns, and cats. So many different cats. Snowkit presses up against me, whimpering slightly. A scruffy-looking brown tom stops when he spots us, rasping loudly, "Are those your kits, Nightfeather?" My mother nods. "Yes, Weedpelt, these are Snowkit and Mistkit." Snowkit stares up at him, eyes wide. I tip my head to one side. "Who are you?" He purrs. "I'm Weedpelt. It's very nice to see more kits around." Snowkit mews, "Daisybird is kitting, so soon there'll be even more." His eyes darken suddenly. "Is she really? Maybe I should go make sure she's alright." Without another word, he turns and pads quickly toward to nursery. "Weedpelt is Daisybird's father," Nightfeather explains, her whiskers tickling my ear. Snowkit watches him. "But he's so old!" "Hush!" Nightfeather meows, glancing after him. "That's not nice, Snowkit." My sister drops her gaze, studying her paws intently. "Sorry," she mutters. I don't hear my mother's reply. I'm too busy watching a sturdy gray tom toss a plump mouse on the fresh-kill pile. My mouth waters. "Mama, can I have some prey?" I ask, longing to feel the crunch of bones in my teeth. She glances up at me. "Not right now, Mistkit." I scowl, kicking a rock grumpily. "But I'm hungry." "I know you are." My mother's meow is firm, but I can hear affection in it. "But you'll have to wait." 'CHAPTER TWO' I sit outside the nursery, waiting ''for Nightfeather to come out. Lizardpaw pokes his head out again. "Nightfeather says you can come in now," he mews, then disappears back inside. I exchange a grumpy look with Snowkit. I don't want to go in, I want to explore the camp some more! Snowkit shrugs. "I guess we'd better go in." I scowl. "Yeah." An idea occurs to me, and I flick my tail in excitement. Turning to Snowkit, I open my mouth to tell her about it, only to see the tip of her white tail vanish inside the nursery walls. Fine, then, if she doesn't want to be a part of it, she doesn't have to be. I'll do it by myself. Trying to look innocent, I pad inside the nursery, quickly walking over to my mother and sister. They're looking at three tiny little kits, suckling at Daisybird's stomach. My eyes widen, and I study them intently, amazed that they can be so tiny and helpless. My sister mews, "What are their names?" Daisybird purrs, her eyes soft as she watches her kits. Gently, she brushes her tail over a small brown tabby. "This one is Driftkit," she meows, then touches a tortoiseshell one lightly. "And this one is Dapplekit." She taps a mottled gray tom. "And this one is Duskkit." Driftkit, Dapplekit, and Duskkit. So these will be my new playmates. I frown. They look a little small to be able to play with me. Darkfur is watching his mate and kits proudly, but there's a flicker of unease in his eyes. Curious, I glance up at Nightfeather. She has the same look in her eyes. Turning to look at Cinderwhisker and Fernshine, I notice that they too look uneasy. I pause to study Daisybird. She looks exhausted, something I hadn't noticed before. I suddenly notice the blood staining her fur and back up, tail bushing out with fear. Nightfeather notices, and gently curls her tail around me. Her gentle blue eyes, so like Snowkit's, seek to comfort me, but I pull away. Right now, I just want to sleep. ***** It's late when I wake up. I hold my breath, listening for sounds of waking cats. Nothing. The night silence is interrupted only by the deep breaths of slumbering cats. Carefully, I slip out from underneath my sister, who is muttering in her sleep again. Nightfeather stirs, and I freeze, waiting to see if she'll wake. She rolls over, and doesn't move, so I assume she's asleep. Choosing my pawsteps with care, I sneak over to Daisybird's nest, catching the scent of night air outside. Longing fills me, along with resolution. I will carry out my plan. Since I'm already beside Daisybird's nest, I peek in, wanting to see how the kits are doing. When I see them, I stare, horrified. Daisybird is lying completely still, not breathing at all. Her three kits are still curled up beside her, but I can see that they're not breathing either. When Daisybird died, she must have grown cold, and the kits couldn't survive, since their fur wasn't long enough. I let out a small mew, feeling sick and scared. There's a rustle behind me, and then I hear Nightfeather's sleepy mew. "What are you doing?" I don't answer, pointing mutely with my tail at Daisybird and her kits, wishing that I had never woken up. Nightfeather comes up behind me, and gasps, eyes wide as moons when she sees Daisybird and her kits. There's another rustle, and then Cinderwhisker joins us, looking pained when she spots the four dead cats. My mother quickly brings me back to my nest, while Cinderwhisker runs to get Fernshine and Darkfur. Darkfur. My heart stops when I think of his reaction. He seemed to pleased, so proud when Daisybird kitted, and yet so worried. I can't help but wonder, if he knew that this was coming, did it make it an easier when it did? Apparantly not. When Darkfur rushes in, his eyes are dead, and he seems different. Almost like he's not there. Why did Daisybird have to die? Why did her newborn kits have to die? I close my eyes, wondering why StarClan would be so cruel. Daisybird was nice. I didn't get to know her very well, but she was nice when I did. And her kits were so cute and tiny. I had been looking forward to getting to know them. But now... now I never would. Now they would have to spend their time in StarClan as kits, never getting any older, but getting wiser all the time. It just doesn't seem fair. I pad quietly back over, wanting to see the kits one more time. All the other cats are huddled up together, meowing something in distressed tones. I glance at the kits, lying alone, since Darkfur is taking Daisybird out to the camp. One whimpers, and I gasp, amazed and excited that one survived. I scan the limp tangle of fur, wondering which one is still alive. No one seems to notice that I'm awake, or the fact that one kit is safe--as of this moment. There! The tortoiseshell is mewling weakly, and I think I can see her chest fluttering. I search for her name. Dapplekit, right? I turn hurriedly around, finding my mother in the group of cats. "Mama!" I call, too excited to care about waking my sister up. Nightfeather spins around. "Mistkit! What are you doing?" I don't answer her question, instead telling her, "Dapplekit is still alive!" There's a gasp, and I turn to see Darkfur just padding wearily back in. "Dapplekit?" he asks, looking desperate. I nod, suddenly feeling shy. After all, I was the one who found out that his mate and his kits--no two of his kits--died in the night. Hope blossoms in his eyes and he hurries forward, gently pulling out the tortoiseshell she-kit. "Dapplekit." I catch his murmured words, and I feel glad that I noticed her in time. Nightfeather gives me a lick. "Good job. Now, back to bed," she tells me, pushing me back to toward her nest. I climb in beside Snowkit, feeling suddenly exhausted. "Good night, Mama," I mew, curling up. "Good night, Mistkit. I"ll see you in the morning." ***** A moon later, I'm crouching beneath a bush, peering out into the camp. Behind me, Dapplekit waits, along with Cinderwhisker's three kits, Silverkit, Cloudkit, and Breezekit. Finally, I flick my tail, and we sneak along the outer walls of brambles, holding our breath in case some cat spots us. We make it to the outside of the warriors' den safely, and quietly pad into some over-grown bushes, using the ferns nearby to mask our scent. I turn to my followers, feeling a pang of resentment that Snowkit wasn't here. I had stopped asking her if she wanted to join us in these pranks, ever since she had ceased being interested in sneaking around, and would only aid us by not telling. Dapplekit creaps up beside me, breathing out, "Now what?" I make sure that they're all listening, then mew, "Now, we sneak outside." Silverkit looks awed, while Cloudkit and Breezekit exchange excited looks. Dapplekit's eyes widen, but she knows me well enough by now to guess that there's more to the plot then that. She prompts me by poking me with one white paw. "And then...?" My eyes gleam with mischief. "And we find some nettles, and catch a mouse or something..." Dapplekit's eyes match mine as she guesses the rest of my sentence. "And leave it in the pile." Silverkit looks worried. "But couldn't that hurt some cat?" Cloudkit and Breezekit, her two brothers, scoff openly. "Course not! We wouldn't do something that would hurt some cat!" Dapplekit nods firmly. "But if you don't want to take part, you don't have to, Silverkit." She squeaks with alarm, and I flick my tail at Dapplekit to let her know that it's fine. "Ready? Good, then let's go." I lead the way into the woods, the four kits behind me making almost no sound, except the muffled pad of paws on the soft pine needles that carpet the ground. Breezekit and Cloudkit find the nettles, and as I bound over to them, I feel a pang of pity for Silverkit. Her brothers are so close, they do everything together, leaving her alone. That's one reason I let her join in on these pranks, since I know she gets lonely sometimes. Dapplekit is gesturing helpfully with her tail, but I notice that none of them is actually making a move to ''pick the nettles. Snorting in frustration, I recklessly bite the stems, ignoring the prickles of pain that lance through my mouth. Silverkit watches me, her clear blue eyes expressionless for once. It's not until I straighten up, mouth full of prickly nettles that she mews. "You lied to me." Dapplekit whirls around, eyes wide with shock and outrage. "What?!" Breezekit and Cloudkit glance uneasily at each other, then their sister, the desire to defend her fighting with the desire to stay out of this. I calmly place the nettles on the ground, trying to keep my anger under control. "Would you like to explain, Silverkit?" Her face doesn't change emotions at all as she meows tonelessly, "You lied. You said that nettles wouldn't hurt any cat. But nettles do hurt." Dapplekit seems to shocked to answer, and Breezekit and Cloudkit are now staring in digust at their sister. My anger is threatening to overwhelm me, but I manage to ignore it. "Silverkit. Do you really think I would lie to you?" "I don't know anymore," she tells me, bewilderment flickering in her eyes. I sigh, my anger ebbing somewhat. "Silverkit, nettles do hurt, but we'll be stuffing them in a fat squirrel, which will block the prickles." "Until they rip the flesh off." "By which time," I meow impatiently, now seeing red, "they'll spot the nettles and realize that it's a joke." "Haha." This time it's Dapplekit who intervenes, obviously having reached her limit with Silverkit criticizing her flawless role model. "Silverkit! Mistkit wouldn't--" she gets no farther, as I mew furiously, "I wouldn't hurt some cat. Maybe it's time you stopped participating in these pranks." "Maybe it is," she agrees, anger flashing in her eyes. I have to admit, that surprises me. I thought she would have backed down, but she's standing firm. Breezekit and Cloudkit push past me, flanking Silverkit on either side. "If she goes, we go," they tell me, sorrow present in their eyes. They don't want to go, but they feel like they have to stand up for their littermate. I spit at them, "Fine. But remember the agreement." The agreement is pretty much just that if some cat leaves in the middle of a prank, or decides not to continue joining in them, then they can't tattle on us. "We remember." Dapplekit looks absolutely livid. "Fine, then go! I don't even want to talk to you." They march off, tails raised high. I watch them go, suddenly feeling shocked by what just happened. Dapplekit looks sickened at the fact that they actually left us. Dapplekit looks up to me now, since her siblings are dead. Snowkit says that I milk her praise, and purposely make her think that I'm a lot more awesome than I am, but I don't. I just hang with her, let her in on all my secrets, tricks, raids. I don't disillusion her in her opinion of me, but I certainly don't improve it on purpose. Now by ourselves, we're sort of subdued as we carry the nettles to a safe hiding spot, then head deeper into the woods in search of some prey. 'CHAPTER THREE' I hang my head, crouching next ''to Dapplekit, who is also in shame right now. Nightfeather caught us sneaking back into camp, and scolded us something fierce. At first, I had just assumed that she was only scolding us for leaving camp, but I caught the name 'Silverkit' in her lecture, so now I'm not quite so sure. I exchange a glance with Dapplekit. She reads the message in my furious amber eyes and looks up, looking heart-breakingly sorrowful. I've seen it before, as it's something she's understandingly proud of. "Nightfeather, I'm so, so sorry. I shouldn't have done it." My mother's stern gaze softens. "I don't blame you, Dapplekit, I know it was my daughter's idea." Fury lances through me, but I manage to control it. Dapplekit is mewing, "How did you find out?" Nightfeather sighs, looking at me. "I was told by Silverkit. Mistkit, I think you truly are sorry, so I'll let you go now. But you won't do this again." I nod, not trusting myself to look up, aware of the fierce anger still coursing through me. "Yes, Mama." "Good." She bounds away, leaving me and Dapplekit all alone. Dapplekit immediately mews, "I'm sorry! It was just as much my idea as yours!" I shrug at her. "I'm not mad at you." And truthfully, I'm not really mad at my mother either. After all, she didn't punish us, just gave us a lecture, then left. She continued, "But I should have known that Silverkit would squeal on us." I stand up, shaking my head. "You couldn't have. Silverkit knew the agreement. She was the one who broke it." Dapplekit looks almost afraid. "What are you going to do?" I glance at my tortoiseshell friend. "Nothing, right now. She'll be struggling with enough guilt as it is." I'm hot-headed, but that doesn't mean I'm cruel. Silverkit's a lot younger than I am, and I can't really blame her for doing what she thought was right. It will just be a wihle before I forgive her--and certainly before I can trust her again. "Who?" Snowkit asks, padding up in time to hear the last part of my sentence. I turn, purring affectionately. "Silverkit." Snowkit's deep blue eyes gro wide. "Why? What did she do?" Dapplekit bristles angrily. "She broke the agreement." Snowkit gasps. "What?" Without waiting for an answer, she brushes against me, twining her glossy tail with mine. "Is that why Nightfeather seemed so annoyed with you?" I nod. "Yeah." Snowkit pauses, then mews determinedly, "Next time, I'll come with you, if you want." "Really?" I ask, feeling excited. Beside me, I can sense Dapplekit growing sad, as if she thinks that I don't care about her. I brush her flank with my tail. "That'll be great, Snowkit. Would that be okay with you, Dapplekit?" She brightens slightly. "Yeah, I guess so." There's a pause, then she meows quietly, "I wish Driftkit and Duskkit were still here." I share a sad look with Snowkit. I can spend time with Dapplekit, but I can't bring back her dead littermates, and I know that as much as she enjoys playing with me, I'm still not her real littermate, and will never be quiet as good. "Anyway," Snowkit mews brightly, "Can you believe that we're already one moon old? Only five moons to go!" I groan. "Five moons? That's ages!" Dapplekit narrows her eyes in disappointment. "We'll never make it that long." ''To be continued... Category:Fan Fictions